Week #3 was awesome at Spalding HS. The weather was fantastic and the play on the field was exciting. Phil Taylor, the # 1 pick in the 2011 Draft for the Cleveland Browns was on hand to check in the action. His mother runs the concessions stand and his father is the head of security so Phil Taylor is Grassroots Family. Commissioner Rick "Doc" Walker was on hand along with a whose who of HS football coaches.

It was a great day at Spalding and we appreciate the hosts treating us so well.

Game #1 Fairfax County Colts 6 vs Prince George’s County Swarm 41The PG Swarm got in the win column on this day with a strong running game and timely passing. The game began competitive with Henry Rudisill making a big defensive stop to force a turnover on downs on the Swarm first possession. On the Colts drive, talented RB Asaveon Coleman showed why he is making a strong push to represent the South in the 1st GYFL North vs South All Star Game. He broke off a couple of 20 yard runs to get into the Swarm red zone, before the defense tightened and got the ball back inside their own 10 yard line.

That is when big Jaivon Belt began to go to work behind that Big PG Swarm offensive line led by Victor Olawatimi, who is heading to Carroll High School in the fall. The Swarm played without their stalwart lineman Brian Lassiter, who was nursing a knee injury, but with the additions of a few Glenarden Seahawks (Brice Forrest, Benjamin Wedge, and Ben Amadi), the Swarm took control of the line on the second drive. Carl Payton Jr. had a big run around the left side, but it was Jaivon who did the damage on the drive, picking up over 50 yards and converting a 20 yard TD run. After the conversion attempt, the Swarm led 7 – 0 in the second quarter.

QB Ty Crabb began to heat up on the next drive hitting Matthew Pidgeon on consecutive passes to move the ball to the Swarm 39. Then he rolled to the left, looked back over the right side of the field and found Dylan Mullins open at the 12 yard line. He hit him on the money, and Mullins sprinted in for the score making it 7 – 6 Swarm. The Swarm QB Garrison Burnett is perfect running the pistol offense. He can move it with his hands and his feet and had a nice run right up the middle on the ensuing drive. A couple of plays later, he had the speedy Joshua Hicks one on one down the right sideline. Burnett made the back shoulder throw and gave Hicks the opportunity to make a play. The DB made a great break on the ball and it was tipped in the air. Hicks kept his concentration and made a circus catch to move the ball the Fairfax 27 yard line. Willie Beverly, JaHarold Williams and Brandon Rowe kept opening holes for Burnett and Belt. On first and goal from the 9, Burnett lofted a pass to the right corner for Nykeim Johnson. Johnson slipped to the ground, but had the presence of mind to make the catch from the ground and after the conversion the Swarm led 14 – 6 as we rolled into halftime.

Crabb came out hit in the second half finding Pidgeon over the middle on a nice slant for 10 yards. But, the sure handed Coleman dropped a beautiful wheel route that would have moved the chains. First mistake Coleman has made all year. The Swarm line began beating on the Colts and Belt was pounding them up the middle for big chunks of yardage. The CJ Payton broke loose for about 25 yards to get it inside the 10 of the Colts. Burnett used his speed to get around the corner on the next play for the score. Belt converted to make the score 21 – 6 Swarm with 5 minutes left in quarter #3. Pidgeon dropped another perfect pass by Crabb, who was very accurate on the day. Big John Holzworth who is a defensive menace, converted on a short run to put the Colts in business at the 40, but on the next play, Jaivon showed his defensive skills by stepping in front of a Crabb pass, picking it off and running it back 65 yards for a TD giving the Swarm a 28 – 6 lead.

On the next possessions, Crabb went deep and didn’t see Nykiem Johnson, who is headed to Dematha in the fall. Johnson was lurking from his safety position, well aware that the Colts had to pass to get back in the game. Nykiem picked off the pass, and then turned into a running back with a burst of speed up the right side and a cutback. Had it not been for the gutsy effort of Crabb to get around his ankles at the 5 yard line, he would have scored. On the next play, Prince Harmon showed his quickness on an inside run play around the right side for the score and the rout was on 34 – 6. On the last scoring drive, Burnett showed his amazing versatility on a bootleg that he turned into a 35 yard touchdown run through the left side of the Colts defense. It looked like they could have caught him but he turned on the afterburners and created separation as he sprinted the last 15 yards.

Crabb, Pidgeon, and Soloman Simay made a few plays late in the 4th quarter but the game was way out of reach by that point.

Game #2 Howard County Stars 18 vs Montgomery County Bearcats 8This was the game of the day. We had two undefeated teams going at it for supremacy in the very difficult North division. The North Division is stacked and loaded this year. The Bearcats are always well coached, as are the Stars. We expected a good one and it got started off with a bang. We told you guys last week that Davon Williams was special. Davon is on his way to St. Francis of Baltimore in the Fall and the MIAA division better get ready for this kid. He controls games from the DB position, and the GYFL faithful have not even seen him get busy from the Tailback position, where he is quite special. Williams can play any position on the football field and play it well. He took the opening kickoff at the 10 yard line and it got real spectacular really quick. He shook the first defender at the 15, sprinted to the sidelines, and picked up a block line. He cut back at midfield, then got back to the sideline and turned on the jets. Nobody was going to catch this kid. When he crossed the goal line the kid was not even tired. Absolutely and positively love this kid. Watch out and remember the name. The score was Stars 6, Bearcats 0.

On the Bearcats drive, the fleet footed Marvin Beander took the first handoff around the left side for a big game and it looked like we had a football game. QB Doc Bonner was calm, cool, and collected and found Jonathan Donnelly on a quick slant to move the chains. Swaid Belt, Braydon Pierce, and Frederick Cooper, all FBU 8th Grade All Stars converged on Bonner with a big sack. On the next play, the Bearcats ran a wheel route to Anthony Budd, who can fly. Budd was open up the sideline and Bonner put the ball on the money under major pressure. Budd reached out to grab the ball at the 12 yard line and Ke’Andre Robinson the safety came off the hash to blow up the play on the sideline and the Stars took over possession.

On the Stars next possession, the Stars went to the air. They have a 7th Grade QB that is quite a prospect. Trent Jackson gets more comfortable with every game. On a play action pass from the 47 yard line, he found Jamel Walker in the flat and under intense pressure in his face, he put the ball right on Walker, who caught it at the 50 and did the rest. He used his speed to split the defense and broke an attempted tackle/strip at the 10 yard line to take it in for the score, making it 12 – 0 Stars with 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. After a big defensive stop by the Stars, Williams went about 50 yards on a punt return to put the Stars back in scoring position. Darius Golston made a nice run before the quarter ended with the score 12 – 0 Stars.

Jackson went for it all with Cody Wilburn, who is establishing himself as a top shelf receiver with great hands and route running. GYFL Alumni Noah Nicholson was in his hip pocket and made a fantastic play on the ball breaking up the pass. Just as Wilburn is establishing himself on the WR side, Nicholson is doing the same thing on the DB side. The kid can play. On the next down it happened………

This play deserves its own paragraph. Two-time GYFL All Star and 8th Grade FBU All Star Malik Davis did something that hasn’t been done before in Grassroots. He is a WR/DE on his way to Good Counsel from the vaunted Montgomery Village program. With the Stars about to score for the third time, Jackson dropped back to pass, while Davis was bearing down on him. Davis made the big hit before Jackson could release the ball forcing a fumble that rolled back towards the Stars 40 yard line. That would have been quite enough. But, Davis was not finished. He got up from the sack, sprinted towards the ball and scooped it up at the 40 yard line. He turned on the speed and 60 yards later, he was in the end zone turning the entire momentum of the game around. Bonner drilled the two point conversion kick and the score was 12 – 8 and anybody’s game.

The Stars went back to the power game. They have a big, strong line, with a couple of fullbacks that create space for the runners. Jeremy Mensah is a bruising 215lb fullback and FBU All Star Keith Felton is a versatile back that can run and catch. The defenses both began to hold each other and turn over on downs. Then big Brayden Pierce began to be the featured ball carrier and moving the chains. Pierce is another one of the FBU All Stars and weighs about 180lbs. The hard running back was hard for the Cats to bring down. Pierce powered over the left side of the line behind Devin Miller and FBU All Star Cam Goode, who is also a two time GYFL All Star. The score was 18 – 8 late in the 2nd quarter. Jackson hit Wilburn on a big pass from his 49 yard line and Wilburn got into a full sprint towards the end zone, but at about the 20 yard line he began to lose control of the ball and fumbled it from the 10 towards the goal line. Carlos Washington, who was a FBU Nova All Star scooped it up and ran it back to the 25 yard line as the first half came to an end.

The Cats were on the move. Doc Bonner found Anthony Budd running a deep post patter over the middle and hit him right in the hands, but he bobbled the ball into the air and the safety Robinson was “Johnny on the Spot” once again. He picked off the ball and returned it inside Cats territory. The Cats held and got it back, then fumbled the snap and gave it right back. The multi-talented Mohamed Ibrahim was the lead carrier on this drive and began moving the chains with solid runs. Then Pierce broke a nice run, but the ball was stripped and Washington scooped up another fumble with the Cats backs up against the wall. Roe White and the Stars defense began to control the Bearcat ground game and they were forced to punt again.

When they got it back, Beander showed his immense skills on a sweet 25 yard run, the Donnelly moved the chains on the next play and it looked like the Cats were still in it. Bonner hit Tremayne Stott over the middle, before big Roe White recorded a momentum changing sack. But Bonner is a gamer and found Bryan McNeary the two-time GYFL All Star and FBU All Star over the middle for a nice pitch and catch. Khary Smith, the impressive DE sacked Bonner on the next play to end the game.

Game #3 Baltimore Metro Stallions 6 vs Loudoun County Eagles 10These two had an epic match two years ago in the final game of the season. That game will go down in GYFL history, with the Stallions pulling out a nail biter. The Eagles had a difficult season last year, but they played with a ton of 7th graders and that experience is part of the reason why they had won in week 2 and believed they had a good chance to take out the speedy and powerful Metro Stallions. Baltimore was shocked the week before by Howard County and thirst for revenge.

On the Stallions first possession, it didn’t take long for Baltimore to strike. QB Randy Fields handed the ball off to Jamar Williams. If you have not seen this kid Williams play yet, you need to come out to a GYFL game just to see it for yourself. Wayne “The Voyce” Matthews, who is the best announcer in the game right now is awesome at coming up with nicknames. The Voyce calls the kid Williams “The X Button.” When you hit the X button on the playstation football game, the player goes into hyper speed and explodes into the secondary. It certainly looked like Williams hit the X button on this play because once he hit the sidelines he was absolutely gone for 60 yards and NOBODY was going to catch him. After the explosive run the score was a quick Baltimore 6, Loudoun County 0.

On the next possession for Baltimore, the Eagles defense stepped up behind the trench work of a couple of GYFL two-time All Stars. Daniel “The Boss” Renaud and Johnny Jordan are just certified football players. The play both sides of the line in stellar fashion and along with two-time All Star Brian Burke, the Eagles got real stingy against the Stallion running game and bottled up the X Button, along with Terrell “Turbo” Smith is spectacular in his own right. On the next drive another two-time All Star struck for the Eagles by the name of Damani Neal. The Boss applied major pressure on Savion Spencer, who was rolling out from his QB position. The ball hung in the air and Neal made a play almost as phenomenal as the one Davis made in the Montgomery County game. Neal broke on the ball, picked it off with his left hand, tucked it in and took off down the left sideline for the 55 yard momentum changing touchdown. Neal is prime time player for the Eagles. After the conversion kick, the score was Loudoun County 8, and Baltimore Metro 6.

A snap over the head of the QB went deep into the end zone and the X Button Williams recovered it, but he could not get away from Kash Jackson and Hunter Rogers, who tackled him in the end zone for the safety, making the score 10 – 6 with 6:08 left in the 2nd quarter. For the rest of the half, the Eagles pounded on the Baltimore Metro Defensive line with Kash Jackson and Meech Hembry running behind the big horses from the Eagles.

The third quarter was just a pure defensive struggle. Both teams tried to run the ball and neither could effectively move it consistently against the other team. Antwaun Campbell was all over the field making tackles for the Stallions. There was a series of punts and turnover on downs. Meech Hembry picked off an Everette Jefferson pass to thwart a Baltimore drive. After a blocked punt, Jamal Shearin picked up the fumble and carried a crew of tacklers down inside the 15 yard line to give the Stallions life and momentum, but the Stallions could not capitalize. On a great run by the X Button around the left side that resulted in a touchdown, the referee called a holding penalty on the Baltimore WR. The film appears to show that there was no hold on the play, but it was called back. The Eagles held and they got the ball back. As they began to move up the field, Mitchell Johns made a great ball fake and found himself all along around the left side of the field for a big game. Then Kash Jackson had a highlight reel run where he just broke tackle after tackle on his way down inside the 5 yard line.

The Eagles had a chance to close it out inside the one on a QB sneak by Johns, but he was stopped on the 2 inch line and they turned it over on downs. From the end zone with their only chance to win through the air, Jefferson was picked off by Russell Blackwell to give the ball back to the Eagles, as the clock ran out.

Game #4 Anne Arundel County Wildcats 30 vs Prince William County Lions 0This game was a thriller for the first half. We were all shocked to see the score 0 – 0 at the half. The Wildcats from Anne Arundel County had played so well in the first two losses. They are well organized, well coached, and play very hard and smart. They are a talented group as well. They are one of the best 0 -2 teams we have seen in some time. The Prince William County Lions are also 0 -2, but they have not played very well at all so far and were looking to turn the season around just like they did last year when they lost their first 5 games, then ran off 3 wins in a row.

The Wildcats started out with a great kickoff return, but QB Isaiah Robinson threw an interception to Two-time GYFL All Star and FBU Nova All Star Zion Johnson. After the punt, Big, bruising FB James Patterson showed some speed to go with his immense power as he broke a 40 yard run down the right sideline. He was finally knocked out of bounds by Jarrett Powell. A few plays later, a nice pass, catch, and run by Patterson was called back on a penalty and the Lions took over. Devante Smith ran the wildcat effectively for the Lions as the 2nd quarter began. In the midst of a difficult season so far, Smith has established himself as one of the best players in the league. According to GM and Head Coach Eric Levenberry, Smith is a bona fide Division 1 prospect, and with the credibility that Levenberry has, I would not dispute. After a turnover on downs, it was Myles Gardner that came up with a big sack on Robinson. Next it was Alex “Getter Done” Smith breaking through for the sack on 4th down and the turnover on downs.

Jarrett Powell went back in at QB and the Lions used the shotgun. His first pass was intercepted by Cameron Sullivan-Brown of the Wildcats, who is having a strong season so far. The Lions defense did a good job of bottling up Jaret Patterson, the electrifying Wildcat running back who has been a problem for every defense. Qishon Johnson got a big sack on Robinson that forced them to punt again. On the next Wildcat possession, Jonte “Big Baby” Craig who is another Two-time GYFL All Star and FBU Nova All Star began applying tremendous pressure on ball carriers. He and Qishan Johnson were making plays. The Wildcats tried the halfback option pass with Deron “Little Big Man” Whitley. He threw it down the sidelines to a receiver that was triple covered and Devante Smith appeared to come down with the interception, but it was not called that way. The Wildcats ran a trick play that got them down inside the 10 yard line but they could not score. They tried a field goal that came up short and Smith recovered it and took off going the other way. As the horn sounded ending the 2nd quarter Smith was still running and got knocked out of bounds at about the 30 yard line. The score was a shocking 0 – 0 at the half.

The second have kickoff was mishandled and the Lions found themselves pinned back on their own 1 yard line. There was a high snap and Powell was tackled in the back of the end zone by Brandon Lucas, causing a fumble that was recovered by Stanley McCombs for a Touchdown! The extra point kick was good and the score was 8 – 0 Wildcats. The Lions went back to the Wildcat formation with the Smith boys being the focal point of the offense but they couldn’t move the chains. When Anne Arundel got it back, the went to Whitley, “The Little Big Man” and he burst up the middle, found a nice crease, made a quick cut and turned on the speed to get into the end zone from about 30 yards out to make the score 16 - 0. The Wildcat defense began to take it up a notch and get great pressure in the Lion backfield. On the next possession, the Wildcats came out with Whitley at QB, but Zion Johnson got a sack on him. Whitley ran a sprint out on the next play and picked up good yardage, but they turned it over on downs and the Lions looked to get back in the game.

On the first play of the 4th quarter, “The Little Big Man” dropped back to pass and made an outside shoulder throw to a one on one receiver Michael Gibson. The throw was short, but Gibson made a great adjustment and caught the ball at his own 45 yard line. He made the turn and headed for the end zone. Devante Smith was hot on the trail but he could not catch him in time. The 80 yard TD pass and catch put game out of reach. The good extra point made the score 24 – 0 Wildcats with 9 minutes left in the game. A fumble gave the Wildcats the ball right back and Jaret Patterson made a highlight run to get inside the 10. Warren Dixon finished off the drive with a nice run around the right side for the final points of the game. After the missed extra point, the score was 30 – 0 and the Wildcats would have their first win of the season.

Devante Smith just has absolutely no quit in him and fought his way to an apparent score that was nullified by a questionable holding penalty. The Lions kept on fighting hard all the way to the end, but James Patterson closed them out with an interception of Powell late in the 4th quarter as the clock ran out.

Players of the Game Anne Arundel County Wildcats: Deron “Little Big Man” Whitley Prince William County Lions: Zion Johnson

Game #5 Charles County Heat 19 vs District of Columbia Warriors 33The last game of the day did not have the same level of excitement as last season’s DC vs Charles County matchup, but it was just as exciting. The Heat are a bunch of 7th graders with a ton of heart. Many of them played on the 7th Grade National Championship Team. They are big, They are fast. They are good. But, they are very young and playing in the Grassroots gauntlet is going to make them even better next Fall. With that being said, Coach Byrd and the crew have no intention of waiting until next year to get good. On the first drive, Kelvin Bazemore dropped back and let one fly down the left sideline. His receiver Nick Gage got behind the DB and was hit in perfect stride up the left sideline. He was tackled at the 25 yard line and the Heat were in business.

The tailback duties are shared by TJ Hawkins and Rashard Jackson. TJ was a member of the 8th Grade FBU All Star Team and is extremely elusive and fast, as we would find out later. Jackson is a 7th grader with a ton of speed and quickness. The Warriors were able to hold the Heat out fo the end zone and went into their vaunted and dangerous spread offense guided by Keonte Johnson, who became a legitimate superstar on this day, as you will see. From inside their own 10 yard line, Johnson hit the speedy and elusive Sean Savoy, who is the only 3 Time GYFL All Star in the history of the league. Savoy, who will attend Wilson in the Fall, is an athlete that can run and catch with the best of them. He caught the post pattern from Johnson and turned on the jets. He caught it at his own 25, made a quick move, picked up a block and was off to the races. Here is what we learned. Savoy is fast. However, the 7th Grade National Champion all purpose athlete Chaz Crawford is faster. He put his jets on too and by the time they got to the Heat 15 yard line, he was pulling Savoy down and saving the touchdown as the first quarter came to an end.

Keonte spread everyone out and ran the QB draw up the middle for the 15 yard TD run. After the conversion run the score was 7 – 0 Warriors. The Heat went to the ball control offense but could not move the chains and had to punt. The punt was touched by a Warrior and recovered by the Heat, who continued to bang Hawkins into the line of scrimmage. There was not a lot of running room against the small, but quick Warriors defense, but behind the legs of fullback David Dupree, the chains were moving. Bazemore went for it all to his big play WR Raymond Boone who can literally do it all at this level. The Two-time GYFL All Star and FBU National Champion tried to make a play on the ball but he was double covered and the ball was short. It was picked off by Henry Thompson, who has great speed in his own right, as he turned defense into offense and ran the ball all the way back to the Heat 13 yard line. Boone tracked him down from behind, but not before he got into the red zone. Johnson scored on another draw play from inside the 10 and after the conversion; the score was DC Warriors 14, Charles County Heat 0.

The ensuing kickoff was run back into Warrior Territory at the 48 by David Dupree, who was violently knocked out of bounds by Marcus Swann of the Metro Bengals. But on the next play, the patient running game of the Heat struck with a vengeance. TJ Hawkins got the pitch to the short side of the field. He got a great block to seal the corner by his TE Keisean Wilson and Hawkins hit the corner on full blast. He accelerated and he was gone down the sideline. The speedy Warrior defense could not catch Hawkins and the gap was closed to 14 – 6 Warriors. But, after a nice kickoff return, Johnson was looking for his receiver Darius Darden down the left side of the field and he was double covered. Johnson put the ball up and it looked a bit short. That was until Darden made the play of the day and came back to the ball and literally took the ball from the two Heat defenders. That was a great pitch and catch to put the momentum back in the Warriors hand. The Heat defense held and forced a turnover on downs. A muffed punt and tackle gave the ball back to the Warriors in the red zone with a little over a minute left in the first half. From the 22 yard line with seconds left in the half, Johnson found Savoy running wheel route to the back of the end zone and he put another great pass on the money for the TD, making the score 20 – 6 Warriors with less than a minute in the half.

Bazemore tried to get some points on the board quickly before the half, but an errant pass was picked off by the versatile Savoy who returned it the 27 yard line. With trips to the left side and superstar Delonte Hellams with no catches on the day so far, it was Hellams time. Johnson found him between the safeties and put it in a place where only Delonte could catch it. He jumped up and made the circus catch at the goal line to push the score to 27 – 6. The Heat made a QB switch for the last few seconds of the game and went with 7th Grade Nova FBU All Star Stanton Askew. Askew moved the ball down the field with two accurate and complete passes, but the Heat ran out of time as Raymond Boone struggled to break tackles and get to the end zone. The halftime score was 27 – 6.

In the 3rd quarter, Boone sniffed out an errant Johnson pass and picked it off. His return was phenomenal with a series of cuts and spin moves to get the ball down inside the Warrior 20 yard line. The Heat were not out of this one yet. National Champion All purpose player Chaz Crawford powered his way into the end zone and after the conversion, the score was 27 – 13 Warriors, but there was plenty of time for the comeback. A fumble at the 45 gave the ball back to the Heat. Charles County began to use their size advantage on the Warriors and bang up the middle. TJ Hawkins was finding the running room and hitting the creases hard. Crawford was making slick moves before Deon Jones popped through and made a big tackle. On the next play, Bazemore went over the top and found an open Nick Gage who made a brilliant diving catch at the 10 yard line. After a penalty, the QB sneak found Bazemore in the end zone for the 27 – 19 score and the Heat were only one score and a 2 point kick behind as the 3rd quarter ended.

When we began the 4th Quarter, the Warriors were on their own 20 yard line and sitting in the spread. Johnson ran a sprint out to the wide side of the field. He saw a crease and hit it hard. In an instant he was sprinting towards the sidelines trying to turn the corner. Once he got there it was over and 80 yards later, Johnson was in the end zone. The crowd was excited, but the play was called back for a penalty. Two plays later, before the kid could even catch his breath, he found himself on the 9 yard line rolling right and looking for a receiver. Nobody was open. He decided to run for it. It looked like he had a chance to get to the first down marker. As he accelerated, he was past the first down mark, then he cut back on the defender, split two more, and before we knew it he was at the 50 yard line and had his eyes set on the end zone again. He was in a footrace with some fast kids, but he would not get caught! He did it again. They called the 80 yard TD back. Two plays later, he goes 91 yards. I heard this kid may be considering Wilson. If so, coach Bink better snatch him up right now because he is a special athlete who can pass and most definitely run.

There was still enough time for the Heat to come back, but the Heat does not have a quick strike offense and they turned it over on downs. The Heat defense stepped up and didn’t give up any more big plays, but the offense couldn’t score any more points and the score ended with the Warriors 33 and the Heat 19. Keisean Wilson had big pressure and a sack down the stretch to keep Johnson in check the rest of the way. Dupree had a knockout sack on Johnson as well that may have thrown his timing off. Stanton Askew finished off the game at QB for the Heat and looked good in clean up duty. Johnson hit Savoy on another 70 yard pass for an apparent TD, but it was called back because of a penalty. The final score was Warriors 33, Heat 19.

Players of the Game: District of Columbia Warriors: Keonte Johnson Charles County Heat: Keisean Wilson